The Opterra Solutions Invitational has a different name this year.

The two finalists, however, are no strangers to facing each other in the Invitational final.

Defending champion Lexington will play archrival River Bluff at home Sunday, March 5 at 3 p.m.

Although the game is at Wildcat Stadium, the Gators will be the home team.

This will mark the third time in four years the two teams have faced each other in the Invitational final. Lexington has won both meetings in 2020 and 2022, while the Gators last won the Invitational in 2021.

Lexington opened Day 3 of the Invitational with a 7-2 win over Brookland-Cayce.

The Class 3A second-ranked Bearcats got on the scoreboard first in the second inning after Jackson Thomas doubled in the bottom of the second. Robert McMillan followed with a single and Thomas scored on a single by Jordan Gibbs.

BJ Etheridge walked and scored on a single by Hayden Thomas. The score remained 2-0 as the Bearcats left the bases loaded.

In the top of the third, Lexington's Wes Duckett walked and Tyler Floyd then blasted a home run over the left field fence to tie the game at 2-2.

Gabe Herold followed with a 2-run homer of his own to make it 4-2. Herold's home run came with two outs for the Wildcats in the top of the fifth.

Floyd homered for the second time for Lexington in the top of the 7th and Herold scored after drawing a walk from Bearcat pitcher Tanner Libbey.

Landon Knight also walked and scored after a Brookland-Cayce error to close out the scoring.

Zach Miller got the win for Lexington. He went 3.2 innings, allowed seven hits, two runs and struck out one.

Ehtheridge allowed two runs on five hits.

All Lexington needed was a victory over Catawba Ridge to secure its place in the final. Instead, the Copperheads’ venomous bats proved lethal for the Wildcats in a 16-4 loss.

Catawba Ridge pounced on Lexington early with an 8-run first inning. Jonathan Barschow started the hit parade with a 3-run home run. It was the first of six home runs hit by the Cooperheads.

In the same inning, Sam Schwamb belted a 2-run home run for the first of two in the game. After two Catawba Ridge players scored off a Lexington error, Owen Noonan followed with the second 2-run homer of the inning.

The Wildcats answered back with four unanswered runs over the next two innings to make it 8-4. Landon Knight had an RBI fielder’s choice in the bottom of the first and he, White and Herold all singled home runs in the second.

The Copperheads answered back in the top of the third with Scwamb’s second home run, a solo shot to centerfield, and Jackson Mullen cleared the bases three batters later with a 3-run home run to make it 12-4.

It was déjà vu for Mullen in the fourth. He followed Brennan Helms’ RBI single with his second 3-run home run of the game.

Despite the loss, Lexington still advanced to the final after winning the head-to-head tiebreaker with Dorman.

Over in the Swamp, River Bluff took care of business by sweeping its two remaining bracket games.

It opened with a 9-1 victory over Wren in which four Gator pitchers combined for nine strikeouts.

Walker Mitchell and University of South Carolina signee Thomas Powell opened the scoring in the second with back-to-back RBI doubles.

Powell then proceeded to go back-to-back with Beau Hollins on home runs for the first of two times on the day. Powell hit a 2-run homer and Hollins followed with a solo shot as part of a 5-run rally in the fourth inning.

Lloyd Busbee followed with a two-run single in the same inning. Connor McIntyre added an RBI triple in the fifth and Weston Grant scored off an error.

River Bluff won its second game of the day in similar fashion. The 6-1 victory over Southside Christian saw Powell and Hollins once again go back-to-back with two home runs accounting for three runs.

After the Bulldogs scored on an RBI walk, Mitchell hit a 2-run double in the bottom of the fourth to extend the lead to 5-1. Hollins added an insurance run in the sixth when he scored off an error.

It was more than enough run support for starter Dalton Corley and reliever Jack Rivers. They combined for seven strikeouts and allowed just one run and one hit.

Dorman 9, Brookland-Cayce 8

Chas Welch broke a 8-8 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning by scoring off a bunt by Aaron Sturgil that was misplayed by Bearcat third baseman Robert McMillan.

Brookland-Cayce took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on RBI singles by Parker Mergo and Jackson Thomas. The Cavaliers answered with three runs to take the lead, only to have the Bearcats answer back in the top of the third with three runs on a two-run double by Mergo and a sacrifice fly by Hayden Thomas.

Brookland-Cayce added a run in the third on an RBI single by B.J. Etheridge and two runs in the fourth on a triple by Mergo and a double by Ty Marshall.

Dorman loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth and put across three runs to cut the deficit to 7-6. After a sacrifice fly by Etheridge made it 8-6 in the top of the fifth, Colten Earhardt’s 2-run double tied the game at 8-8.

The Cavaliers had runners on first and second when Sturgill’s misplayed bunt resulted in a walkoff run.  

Summerville 11, Wren 0

SCBA Sandlapper Shootout  

Gilbert 7, Sumter 2

Callum Roberts, Chance Jennings and Matt Edwards all had two hits in support of Scott Hardy on the mound.

The Indians will play for the tournament title Sunday, March 5 at 2 p.m.

Gilbert 11, Beaufort 0 (March 3)

Dalton Taylor pitched a complete game and Chance Jennings, Matt Edwards, Krew Morris and Hudson Schirra all had two hits for the Indians.

Gilbert 12, Rock Hill 2 (March 2)

Jake Torbett had two hits and was the winning pitcher for the Indians in the opening game of the SCBA Sandlapper Shootout at Gilbert High School.

Matt Edwards, Sam Woodyard, Jake Torbett all with 2 hits for the Indians.

Red Bank Invitational Results

(4^th seed game) J.L. Mann 11, Irmo 1

(3^rd seed game) Nation Ford 7, Newberry 2

(2^nd seed game) Dreher 10, White Knoll 0

(Final) South Aiken 5, Camden 2 (Final)